Display carton

ABSTRACT

A tray of plastic or similar relatively rigid material is covered by a paperboard tray which may serve either as the base or cover. A channel-shaped flange projects outwardly from the open end of the plastic tray. The paperboard tray includes side and end walls connected by gusset flaps at the corners. The corners of the gusset flaps adjoining the base panel of the paperboard tray are cut away to provide abutments which engage the corners of the plastic tray flange to lock the two trays together.

United States Patent Dutcher 51 June 20, 1972 DISPLAY CARTON [72] Inventor: Daniel P. Dutcher, North St. Paul, Minn.

[73] Assignee: l-loemer Waldorf Corporation, Ramsey,

Minn.

[22] Filed: Jan. 7, 1971 [21] Appl.No.: 104,669

[52] US. Cl. ..206/45.34, 229/32 [51] ..B65d 25/00, 365d 5/26 [58] Field of Search ..229/3l FS, 43; 206/4534, 78 B;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS OReilly ...229/43 x 2,769,588 11/1956 Beck ..229/3l FS 3,255,870 6/1966 Peck ....206/45,34 3,314,589 4/1967 Comescu ..229/31 FS Primary Examiner-Davis T. Moorhead Attorney-Robert M. Dunning ABSTRACT A tray of plastic or similar relatively rigid material is covered by a paperboard tray which may serve either as the base or cover. A channel-shaped flange projects outwardly from the open end of the plastic tray. The paperboard tray includes side and end walls connected by gusset flaps at the comers. The comers of the gusset flaps adjoining the base panel of the paperboard tray are cut away to provide abutments which engage the comers of the plastic tray flange to lock the two trays together.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUH 20 m2 SHEET 1 OF 2 INVENTOR DAN/7. P DUTCHER BY Qolml m. Q 9

ATTORNEY PATENTEB 1972 3. 670,881 sum 2 OF 2 523 /51 jg 5Z 2 F I [/39 g:

I 1 2 #21 .15 2 z; 1214 I I H 29 {6 31 I Z9 INVENTOR DAN/EL P DUTCHER ATTORNEY DISPLAY CARTON This invention relates to an improvement in display carton and deals particularly with a paperboard tray for containing an inverted plastic tray, and means for locking the two trays together.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various patents have issued showing the combination of a plastic tray and a paperboard tray. One such structure shown in the patent to John F. Peck, U.S. Pat. No. 3,255,879, issued June 14, 1966. This patent shows a plastic tray structure having a peripheral flat flange, and flanges on the side walls of a paperboard tray to lock the two trays together. This structure has proven to be very successful and forms an effective package which cannot be easily opened without tearing or distorting portions of the paperboard tray. However, in some instances the plastic tray requires a reversely turned marginal edge for additional strength. This results in a channel-shaped flange over which the retaining flanges of the paperboard tray must extend. As a result, paperboard flanges cannot engage directly against the base of the channel-shaped flange of the plastic container and accordingly do not hold the plastic tray finnly in place. In other words, the plastic tray may move a distance equal to the depth of the channel-shaped flanges relative to the paperboard tray.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention resides in the provision of a device of the same general type as that shown in the above mentioned patent in that a means is provided for locking a plastic tray in inverted position in a paperboard tray. However, the present construction differs from the previous construction in that it may be used to lock a plastic tray having a channel-shaped peripheral flange securely against the base of the paperboard tray. The present structure may be adapted to accommodate the plastic tray regardless of the depth of the reversely turned marginal flange.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a tray having side walls and end walls which are connected by generally triangular gusset flaps. These flaps are cut away adjoining their juncture which the lower edges of the side end walls, providing a pair of abutments which are in side by side relation when the tray is erected. These abutments extend over the comer portions of the tray flange and prevent the removal of the plastic tray from the paperboard tray. While the plastic tray is engaged only at its comers, it is locked tightly enough to maintain the two trays in engagement under normal handling and use.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of side and end wall liner panels which are folded inwardly and downwardly. The side wall liner panels fold into contact with the side walls to which they are hinged. The remaining two opposed walls, such as the end walls, extend over the folded gusset flaps to lock these flaps in folded relation against the tray end walls. These liner panels do not extend the complete height of the walls in preferred construction. Preferably they terminate in spaced relation from the bottom or base panel of the paperboard tray a distance substantially equal to the height of the reversely turned flange of the plastic tray. As a result, these liner panel edges have a tendency to engage the flange of the plastic tray even though they remain in face contact with the side walls and in face contact with the gusset flap construction at opposite ends of the tray.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the completed package.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the package, the position of the section being indicated by the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical section transversely through the package, the position of the section being indicated by the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the paperboard tray in partially assembled condition.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the paperboard tray is formed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The package includes a plastic tray A and a paperboard tray B. The plastic tray A is designed to contain an article or articles to be displayed, while the paperboard tray B is designed to enclose the plastic tray A and to serve as a support therefore.

The plastic tray A includes a top panel 10, and tapering side walls 11 and end walls 12 which temiinate on a common plane. A reversely turned flange 13 is provided at the lower extremity of the tray, the tray being inverted as illustrated in the drawings. The reversely turned flange provides a reinforcement for the tray and provides a channel-shaped edge which does not function effectively when the plastic tray is held in place by a liner panel due to the fact that the edge of the liner panel may extend into the hollow channel-shaped edge rather than to firmly engage a flat surface of the same.

The paperboard tray B includes a bottom panel 15 of rectangular shape hingedly connected along its longitudinal edges 16 to side walls 17. Side wall liner panels 17 are foldably connected along parallel fold lines 19 to side wall liner panels 20. The side walls 17, in the form illustrated, are of substantially equal height to the plastic tray A. The liner panels 20 are preferably of slightly lesser height as will be later described.

The bottom panel 15 is connected along its remaining parallel end edges 21 to end wall panels 22. The end walls 22 are of substantially the same height as the side walls 17 and are foldably connected along fold lines 23 to end wall liner panels 24. The fold lines 23 may be double fold lines in view of the fact that the liner panels are folded over the gusset flaps which will be described. The liner panels 24 of substantially the same height as the side wall liner panels 20.

Generally triangular gusset flaps 25 are hingedly connected to the end edges of the side walls 17 along fold lines 26 which are substantially extensions of the fold lines 21. Triangular gusset flaps 27 are foldably connected to the side edges of the end panels 22 along fold lines 29 which are substantially extensions of the fold lines 16. The gusset flaps 27 and 25 are of similar shape and are diagonally connected along diagonal fold lines 30.

Substantially rectangular apertures 31 are formed at the comers of the triangular gusset flaps 25 and 27 which adjoin the comers of the bottom panel 15. These apertures 31 provide abutments 32 which fold into side-by-side contiguous relation when the carton is assembled. These abutments 32 are spaced from the bottom panel a distance slightly greater then the depth of the reversely turned flange 13 of the plastic tray A. These abutments are visible in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings. It is these abutments together with the end wall liner panels 24 which lock the inverted plastic tray A in place in the tray B.

As will be noted, the end edges 34 of the side wall liner panels 20 are slightly tapered to provide a pair of locking hooks 35 at the ends thereof which will be lowermost in assembled form of the paperboard tray. The side edges 36 of the end wall liner panels 24 are notched as indicated at 37 at their lowermost ends to engage the hook shaped projections 35 when the tray is assembled.

In assembling the tray, the triangular gusset flaps 25 and 27 at the comers of the tray are flexed inwardly and upwardly as the side walls and end walls of the tray are folded inwardly and upwardly, the triangular gusset flaps 27 being folded to lie against the inner surface of the end walls 22, and the triangular gusset flaps 25 folding in face contact therewith. The end wall liner panels 24 are folded inwardly and downwardly to lie inwardly of the gusset flap construction, and the side wall liner panels 20 are folded inwardly and downwardly to lock the end wall liner panels 24 in place. Alternatively, the liner flaps 20 may be folded inwardly prior to the folding of the end wall liner panels 24.

The lower edges of the liner panels 20 and 24 are preferably spaced from the bottom panel a distance substantially equal to the spacing of the abutments 32 from the bottom panel 15. Thus, the lower edges of these liner panels do not interfere with the insertion of the plastic tray into the paperboard tray B. The plastic tray B is sufficiently flexible and resilient to fold into the tray B. Normally the contents of the package are placed in the plastic tray A, and the paperboard tray is then pressed downwardly over the plastic tray until the flanges 13 pass over and engage the abutments 32. When the two trays are locked, the structure may be inverted in order to display the contents if it is so desired. The package appears in this position in FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings. If the package is to contain a product which is not to be displayed, the package may be left inits inverted form and the paperboard tray may be used as the display. While the plastic tray is normally made of transparent material, this is obviously a matter of choice.

In accordance with the patent statutes, 1 have described the principles of construction and operation of my Display Carton and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

l. A display carton including:

a generally rectangular tray of relatively rigid material and generally rectangular paperboard tray telescoped together,

the relatively rigid tray having an encircling flange,

the paperboard tray including a base panel and side and end walls hingedly connected thereto,

substantially triangular gusset flaps connected by diagonal fold lines connecting the ends of the side walls to the sides of the end wall,

said gusset flaps being cut to provide abutment edges in spaced generally parallel relation to said base panel,

the corners of said flange engaging between said abutments and said base panel to lock the trays together.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which said abutments are formed by generally rectangular apertures in the comers of said gusset flaps adjoining the corners of said base panel.

3. The structure of claim 1 and in which said encircling flange is of generally channel-shaped cross section.

4. The structure of claim 1 and including end wall liner panels each foldable inwardly of two pairs of gusset flaps to hold the same against said end walls.

5. The structure of claim 4 and in which said liner panels terminate on substantially the same plane as said abutments.

6. The structure of claim 4 and including side wall liner panels foldably connected to said side walls and folded inwardly thereof.

I i i i l 

1. A display carton including: a generally rectangular tray of relatively rigid material and generally rectangular paperboard tray telescoped together, the relatively rigid tray having an encircling flange, the paperboard tray including a base panel and side and end walls hingedly connected thereto, substantially triangular gusset flaps connected by diagonal fold lines connecting the ends of the side walls to the sides of the end wall, said gusset flaps being cut to provide abutment edges in spaced generally parallel relation to said base panel, the corners of said flange engaging between said abutments and said base panel to lock the trays together.
 2. The structure of claim 1 and in which said abutments are formed by generally rectangular apertures in the corners of said gusset flaps adjoining the corners of said base panel.
 3. The structure of claim 1 and in which said encircling flange is of generally channel-shaped cross section.
 4. The structure of claim 1 and including end wall liner panels each foldable inwardly of two pairs of gusset flaps to hold the same against said end walls.
 5. The structure of claim 4 and in which said liner panels terminate on substantially the same plane as said abutments.
 6. The structure of claim 4 and including side wall liner panels foldablY connected to said side walls and folded inwardly thereof. 